Every year I fight with several large retail chains about the term Iced Coffee. For some reason they all believe that Iced Coffee needs milk… some even go so far as to brew it directly into the milk instead of giving me the option.
I hate milk in my coffee, but i love cold coffee especially during the summer. So I decided to make a Coffee Concentrate for quick iced coffee.
Cold Press Coffee Concentrate:
Cold press coffee is never heated and extracts the caffeine, and the flavor while leaving most of of the oils in the beans themselves. This produces a smoother beverage overall but lacks some of the defining body of a good strong cup of plain coffee.
Simple take an old glass jar, such as a pickle jar or a spaghetti sauce container, clean it out very thoroughly. Glass works better for this because plastic tends to hold onto flavors and scents. Add about 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee via a funnel. Then add in cold water and shake vigorously.
Shake until you see a light brown froth appear in the glass, this usually means that the air pocket has broken down enough to create a temporary emulsion within the water, it will speed the process up, and get a better extraction of flavor. Let this mixture sit in a cool place for at least 12 Hours, 24 for the best results.
After the mix has sat, filter the liquid out of the bottle. The easiest way I have found is to pour the slurry out into a filter basket from a coffee maker, with a paper filter in. After the liquid has drained out take the bottom of a mug or coffee cup and press the grounds to get any extra water out. Drain the coffee through the filter basket into a mixing bowel. Rinse and clean the bottle out of any offending grounds and pour the filtered concentrate back in.
Hot Press?
Instead of pouring the cold water in heat the water in a teapot until its boiling. After it has boiled take it off the heat wait about 10 seconds and pour the water over the coffee grounds, again leaving as little air in the container as possible. Some settling will occur since the coffee grounds need to absorb the water. stir continuously mixing the grounds in. you may need to top the container off as you stir. After you have the jar full cap and shake as per the instructions above.Place container in a cool place and let it rest for 8-12 hours.
The concentrate will be stronger than the cold press method, but also have a bitter note missing from the cold pressed version. Most people enjoy a smooth cold coffee so I prefer the cold pressed method myself.
French Press!
If you have a decent sized french press this makes an excellent filter for the concetrate just pour the liquid right into the French Press and press down. Pour the filtered concentrate into the jar and you are ready to go. This method is my favorite.